


This can(t) be.

by Soft_ghost



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Bill Cipher/Dipper Pines Fluff, Character Death, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-16 08:30:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17546192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soft_ghost/pseuds/Soft_ghost
Summary: After he told Bill that he couldn't be with him anymore without an explanation, Dipper starts to feel guilty. But the fear of his family finding out about the romance and disowning him was greater. But Bill was not one to give up on something so easily. Especially when he let Dipper so deep into his existence.





	1. Need

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. Let's start this off with a warning. There's a mild smut in this chapter. I wanted to make it story relevant and I think I did. It's not very detailed and it's more impled than anything.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all starts here...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: very brief and non discriptive smut

Need

Bill smiled down at Dipper, warm sunlight filling the room. Bill leaned forward, pressing his lips gently to Dipper's. This all felt to real. It was quiet and the kiss was soft and calm. Until Bill broke away, blank faced and cold. The attic got darker and the warm feeling disappeared. Bill melted into a puddle of goop on the floor, Dipper screamed in horror at the sight. Then he noticed three figures had entered the room. His family.

he could faintly hear what they were saying, till they got louder and louder and louder. And they got closer, Mabel at his right shoulder, Stan at his left, Ford right in front of him. They screamed, ranting on about how wrong he was, how much he was hurting them.

"How could you? How could you say you love him after all he did to us?! We're your family Dipper! How could you betray is like this? Don't you remember what he did? Your awful! Disgusting!"

 

Dipper tugged at his hair, clenching his eyes shut to stop the tears as he fell to his knees.  
“Stop! Stop it! I'm sorry! Make it stop please!” He cried out.

They got closer and closer...

Then he woke up.

Cold sweat dampening his forehead, he clutched his chest, trying to stop the rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing. He was losing it. This had to stop.

“Another bad dream pine tree?”

Dipper jumped out of his chair and spun around, meeting with gold eyes that sparkled in the dim light of the moon light that spilled through the trianglular shaped window.

“What are you doing here? I told you to stay away from me.” Dipper said, his voice trembling.

“Aww, are you still mad at me? Honestly pine tree, I don't even know what I did to make you so mad.” Bill said, walking towards Dipper.

“Get out.”

“Don't you still love me?”

“I said get out.” Dipper said a little more stern this time.

“That doesn't answer my question.” Bill said darkly, reaching out to to grab Dipper's wrist and pull him closer. Dipper didn't have time to react, as Bill's other arm snaked around his waist.

Dipper tried to pull away, but he was held in place. His mind racing trying not to give in. But he couldn't deny he wanted him. He wanted him so bad that it hurt. He wanted to feel his breath on his neck, and his fingers running through his hair. He wanted to feel his lips pressed to his. Dipper just wanted him. But he couldn't have him. As much as he wanted to give into temptation he couldn't.

“Let me go!” Dipper shouted.

“Shh, shh. You wouldn't want to alert the rest of your family, would you? What would they think it they saw you with me?” Bill whispered.

He was right. Dipper had to be quiet. Even though he wanted to scream and curse at the demon in front of him. Even though he had to admit none of this was his fault. Well maybe the dream he had just woken up from was his doing. But he had no proof.

“What do you want?” Dipper spat, his voice considerably lower.

“You.”

“I told you. We're over, I don't want anything to do with you anymore.”

“I don't think you understand what you got yourself into, you are mine, mind body and soul. You can say we're nothing. But you would only be lying to yourself.” Bill told him, tightening his grip on Dipper's wrist and waist.

Dipper had forgotten about this. Bill had mentioned plenty of times about this fact. How could it slip his mind so easily?

“We can't.”

“We can.”

Bill didn't want to hear anymore objections so he smashed his lips against Dipper's. The brunette's eyes widened, he wanted to kiss back. He really did but he shouldn't, and Bill knew that. That was the difference between the two. They knew they shouldn't be doing this, but Bill didn't care. He was never one to follow the rules.

Dipper's mind was still racing, screaming at him to do something! He had a feeling Bill wouldn't pull away till he got what he wanted. So slowly Dipper pressed his lips to Bill's. Bill smiled into the kiss before tilting his head to deepen the kiss.

God he missed this, he missed Bill. Bill let go of Dipper's wrist, letting it drape over his shoulder. He moved the hand that held Dipper's wrist to the back of his neck.

At this point Dipper's brain had shut down. All thoughts, and logic were thrown out the window, his heart taking control, all he could do right now was feel. Feel Bill's soft warm lips against his own, and his hand in his hair. He could feel his heart beating against his rib cage.

The kiss got hungrier, teeth clashing against each other while trying to get as much of each other as they could. Heated and fast. Like they hadn't seen each other in years. But in reality it had only been three weeks.

Everything went so fast, before Dipper could process it, his back was against the bed and Bill was kissing and sucking on his neck. Dipper let his eyes fall closed and he bit his lip, his hands making their way to Bill's hair.

What was he doing? He shouldn't be doing this, but it all felt so good. He couldn't even bring himself to tell Bill to stop. He didn't want him too.

Soon clothes where off, Dipper's legs wrapped around Bill's waist, his nails scratched into the demon's tan skin, and his teeth dug into Bill's shoulder trying to keep himself quiet.

It was so wrong, but felt so right. All he could focus on was Bill. The rhythmic thrusting of his hips, Bill's scent of cinnamon filling his nose, just everything. Nothing else mattered, just Bill. And that's how Bill liked it.

Just as quickly as it all began it ended, to soon in Dipper's opinion. Bill now laid next to Dipper, both trying to catch their breaths. Bill pulled Dipper closer. Dipper didn't protest, instead he cuddled closer to the blonde, basking in his warmth once again. Soon his eyes fall closed and he welcomed sleep. A part of him hoping this was just part of a dream, the other part of him knew it was real.

The next time Dipper opened his eyes he was met with a sun lit attic and an empty bed. He sighed and ran his hands up his face and through his hair. The previous nights events played back in his head. He knew it couldn't have been a dream, it felt too real to be a dream. Not to mention he was still naked.

After a few minutes or so Dipper threw the sheets off himself and rolled out of bed. He pulled on last night's shirt and boxers, grabbed his towel from the door and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

He turned on the water and waited for it to heat up. While doing so he caught his reflection in the mirror. A groan of frustration escaped his lips, his neck and shoulders were covered in bite marks and hickeys.

“God dammit Bill..” he muttered.

Dipper stepped into the shower, he would figure out what to do about the markings later. For now he just needed to get clean. He felt disgusting.

While he was in the shower he swore that last night would never happen again. It was all out of his system now,. Now he could never see Bill again.

After his shower he stared at himself in the mirror. He couldn't remember the last time his neck looked this bad. He sighed. Lucky for him, his sister's make up was still all over the bathroom counter. He searched until he found a tube labeled concealer. Dipper squirted a little out onto his hand and rubbed it in till all the spots that couldn't be covered with his shirt, looked normal. He hoped Mabel wouldn't notice he used it, he put it back in the exact spot he found it just in case.

Then went and he got dressed and stumbled downstairs and into the kitchen. Mabel and Ford sat at the kitchen table and Stan was at the stove. Mabel and Ford turned to look at him. Fury and accusation written all over their faces. _They knew_.

Dipper's whole being just stopped, he felt like he couldn't breathe.

“Dipper? Are you okay?” Mabel asked.

Dipper shook his head and and blinked. The furious looks shifted to worry.

“Uh, yeah.. I just didn't sleep well last night..” He muttered, taking an empty seat at the table.

“Are you sure? You looked like you just saw something horrible.” Mabel said.

“Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry.” Dipper confirmed.

Ford eyed him suspiciously. He wasn't easily fooled, he knew something was up, and sleep deprivation was not the only cause of Dipper's behavior. This wasn't the first time after all.

The first time was last week when he was telling Dipper about a potential paranormal abnormality. When he turned to face Dipper from his desk he had the most horrified look on his face. Something was going on in that head of his and Ford was going to find out what.

Dipper was pretty quiet for the rest of breakfast. He had come to the conclusion that he would have to go to drastic measures to keep Bill away from him. When the kitchen was all cleaned up Dipper retreated into his room before anyone could stop him. He quickly rummaged around his room trying to find a book he knew could have the answers.

After about 15 minutes of turning his room upside down he found it. A think leather bound book with no title. He flopped down in his desk chair and cleared a space so he could crack the book open.

 _‘I will read this book cover to cover till I find something.._ ’ He thought as he scanned the first page.

All the pages were brown with age and some of the ink was a little lighter than the rest. Symbols and diagrams filled the pages, written notes in the margins to round it all out. This book had been read a million times over.

Dipper was halfway through till he realized, there was nothing useful. There was a million ways to kill a demon, how to identify one, and even how to trap one. But Dipper didn't need any of those! He thought about salt..but that would raise suspicion. Then he remembered, holy water. Ford had insisted he keep some around just in case. He mentally thanked his great uncle and when for his messenger bag.

The small bottle was still full. He had never had to use it before. He guessed there was a first time for everything. That is if Bill came back. But who was he kidding? Of course he was going to o try and come back. He would just have to wait.


	2. Why?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper makes things worse for himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter two. Just some mild language in this one! Hope you enjoy, because it's a long one.

**Why?**

 

It was three days till Bill decided to show face again. It was a particularly cold night, and Dipper was just finishing up another book Ford has given him a week ago that he hadn't have time to finish. He was on the last page when he heard the silent _'clack’_ of dress shoes on wood flooring. Dipper grabbed the holy water before turning around in his chair.

 

“Well hello pine tree.” Bill greeted, small smile playing on his lips.

 

“What do you want now?” Dipper asked.

 

“What? I can't just visit my pine tree every once in a while?”

 

“I told you I didn't want to see you anymore.” Dipper reminded him.

 

“You didn't mean that, you love me to much.” Bill said, stepping closer.

 

Dipper quickly uncorked the bottle.

“Stay back!” He warned.

 

Bill glared at the bottle.

“You wouldn't.”

 

“I would.”

 

They both stayed silent, Dipper holding the bottle firmly, ready to attack if he needed to. And Bill starred in disbelief.

 

“Okay. I'll keep my distance. But I'm not leaving.” Bill finally said.

 

“Well then you'll be standing in that corner for a long time.” Dipper told him firmly.

 

“I have an eternity to wait.”

 

Dipper spun back around to finish his book. He hated this. Why did he have to fall for the one person his family was against? He wished Ford didn't destroy the memory gun. Then he could just forget about him and move on with his life.

 

“Pine tree.”

 

“What?” Dipper replied.

 

“What's going on with you? You haven't been this way towards me in a long time..” Bill trailed off.

 

Dipper's head snapped up, but he didn't turn around. He was silent. Bill was right.

 

“Well?” Bill pressed on.

 

“I just don't want you around anymore.” Dipper lied.

 

“But why?”

 

“People can fall out of love Bill.” Another lie.

 

“Yeah, but that's not the case here, and you know it.”

 

Dipper heard the sound of approaching footsteps, he held onto the bottle tighter.

 

“Why don't you cut the crap and tell me what's going on.” Bill demanded, he was right behind Dipper's chair.

 

“I don't have to tell you anything.” Dipper said lowly.

 

“Yes you do.”

 

Dipper gritted his teeth, without a second thought he spun around and splashed a little holy water onto the demon. It landed on his neck and a few drops landed on his cheek. Bill's eyes went wide and he took in a sharp breath of pain.

 

“I told you to stay back…But you don't listen to anything I say…”

 

Bill was at a loss for words. He couldn't believe this, _his_ pine tree just hurt him. Bill remembered up until three weeks ago Dipper loved having Bill around. Now it was like Dipper hated him all over again. Their relationship thrown into the garbage like yesterday's leftovers.

 

Bill wiped away the droplets with his sleeve, leaving only angry red marks behind. Dipper felt guilty beyond belief. He actually did that, and Bill looked so hurt. An expression Dipper had only seen once.

 

“You..you..”

 

“I'm..I didn't..I'm sorry!” Dipper apologized. He didn't think he would have to actually use the holy water.

 

“What did I do to you? Just tell me!” Bill demanded, fustration evident in his voice.  

 

“Nothing. You didn't do anything.”

 

“Then why are you acting like this?”

 

Dipper thought for a second, finally deciding that Bill deserved an explanation. Something he should have given to him from the beginning.

 

“Bill, I can't be with you because I'm scared the rest of my family will find out, I'm scared of being disowned. I don't want them to find out your back..I don't want to lose you.” Dipper confessed.

 

“So, what you're telling me is that you're letting your fears get in the way of what you want? That's not like you.” Bill told him.

 

“I know. But this is different. They're my family, losing them would just destroy me.” Dipper said.

 

“So your just going to forget about what we had? Try and push it out of your mind? Did it mean anything to you? Do I mean anything to you?”

 

“Of course it meant something…I just thought you wouldn't react like this. You  know because demon aren't supposed to feel love..”

 

It was all true. Dipper didn't know how Bill would react. He figured he would just give up on him and find some other sad soul to be with.

 

“Are you fucking serious? Do you think I would put so much time into whatever we had? Do you honestly think I would waste my precious time on some meat sack I didn't care about? And the whole demons can't feel love, is a myth. They can, it's just hard and most of us don't want to put in the work.” Bill ranted.

 

“Bill I..”

 

“This isn't some stupid deal anymore, Dipper. It stopped being just a deal a long time ago.”

 

Dipper had forgotten about the deal they struck. At first it was just sex. Nothing more. But then..Bill started coming around more, and they would spend time together. Heads would end up on shoulders, fingers would intertwine, ankles would be tangled together and conversations were held that Dipper couldn't get out of his head for at least three days. It turned into a relationship.

 

This time Dipper was the one at a loss for words. He hurt Bill, he was worrying his family. He didn't think his plan through. It was doing the opposite of what he intended. He felt even worse than before. He was happier before. Everyone was.

 

“I'm sorry..” Dipper whispered.

 

“That's all you have to say? Sorry? That may work for you humans, but it's not going to work on me. You're going to have to show me you're sorry. ” Bill said.

 

“How..how am I supposed to do that?”

 

“I don't know pine tree. You're smart. Figure it out.” Bill told him.

 

Dipper didn't have a chance to say anything else because Bill disappeared. Emptiness filled the room. Dipper felt gross on the inside. What was he going to do? Maybe this was the end. Maybe he wouldn't have to deal with Bill anymore...but that thought made him feel worse. He guessed it was true, be careful what you wish for.

 

Dipper decided to sleep it off. He would figure out what to do when his head was clear.

 

…..

 

Dipper was standing in the middle of the woods... looking at himself and Bill.

 

_“Your acting weird, what's going on in that head of yours?” Bill asked._

 

_Dipper was silent for a long while. It was now or never._

 

_“...I think we should talk.” Dipper responded._

 

Dipper knew what was about to happen.

 

_“Okay. Let's talk.”_

 

_“I can't do this anymore.”_

 

_“Can't do what?”_

 

_“This,” Dipper motioned between them._

 

_Bill furrowed his eyebrows in confusion._

_“What do you mean?”_

 

_“Bill, we're over. I can't do this anymore.”_

 

_Bill's face fell from confusion to hurt in a matter of seconds. Dipper felt his heart drop to the very pits of his stomach. If it went any lower it would be on the ground._

 

_Dipper stood up and and turned away._

_“I'm sorry.”_

 

_With that Dipper started to walk away._

 

_“Pine tree! Wait! Come back!” Bill chased after him._

 

_“Stay away from me!” Dipper shouted._

 

As Dipper watched himself he regretted it. He had no reason to act this way. Bill had done nothing wrong to deserve this. Which was surprising considering his past.

 

The scene started to crumble, so did the ground that Dipper was standing on. Dipper feel through. He tried to hold on, he screamed for help but he didn't receive any, even though Bill stood nothing to far away. He lost his and screamed the whole way down. Soon his back hit hard ground. He was back in the attic. It was sunset now. Once again he was met with his past self and Bill.

 

_Dipper's back was against his head board, his laptop on his lap, Bill had his head on Dipper's shoulder with his arms around his waist._

 

_“I don't understand. Why don't they just walk through the bars?” Bill mumbled._

 

_Dipper laughed._

_“Because it's a cartoon. Logic doesn't apply.”_

 

_“Okay well it should because they could be out of trouble if they just left. It wouldn't be hard.” Bill pointed out._

 

_“You're not wrong. But if they did escape then they couldn't be rescued. It's all for the plot.” Dipper told him._

 

_“Mmm.” Bill hummed._

 

Present Dipper smiled fondly. He remembered this. Bill had shown up while the rest of his family was out. Dipper was watching old cartoons to pass the time, Bill was curious so he joined him. They stayed that way till it was late and Dipper couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. They both fell asleep and Bill was gone by morning.

 

The  scene faded around him this time. Before coming back. It was mid day, sunlight being the main source of light in the room. This time Bill held Dipper's face in his hands.

 

_“What happened to you?” He asked, running his thumb gently over a cut on Dipper's cheek._

 

_“I tripped and rolled down a hill.” Dipper told him._

 

_“You should be more careful. You're so fragile.”_

 

_“I am not! It was just a very big hill..with a lot of sticks and rocks.” Dipper protested._

 

_“Again, fragile.” Bill repeated._

 

_Dipper huffed._

_“Shut up.”_

 

_Bill laughed._

_“Adorable.”_

 

The scene quickly changed around him. It got darker and past Bill and Dipper stood apart. Dipper looked confused, and a little unsure. This was eight months ago.

 

_“And if I do this..you won't hurt anyone in this town?” He clarified._

 

_“I won't touch a hair on any of their heads.” Bill told him._

 

_Dipper sighed and held out his hand. Which made Bill laugh._

 

_“Why are you laughing?” Dipper hissed._

 

_“It's not that kind of deal kid.”_

 

_Dipper gave him a quizzical expression. Bill smirked before smashing his lips onto Dipper's._

 

This was when things started.

 

……..

 

Dipper's eyes snapped open, he was met with the attic ceiling. He turned his head to look but his alarm clock. It was only 3:45.

 

Dipper sighed and rolled over.  He had to fix this. He had to fix everything. Starting with Bill. But how? A simple apology wouldn't do. Not this time. Dipper had to.make it up to him. Somehow. He just had to think. Sadly for him all he could think of was what Bill had said.

 

_“This isn't some stupid deal Dipper. It stopped being just a deal a long time ago.”_

 

It stopped being a deal a long time ago. Deep down Dipper knew this. He just didn't want to believe it. But he didn't stop it, he let it grow until it got to big and Dipper couldn't handle it, he needed more and more of Bill. He was sad when he woke up and Bill was gone, ecstatic when he came back. They got to reckless. They came to close to getting caught, too many times. It was worrying.

 

Dipper tossed and turned the rest of the night, trying to get back to sleep, without success. So he laid there letting his mind run wild. Thoughts interrupting one and other. It stayed like that till morning.

 

When he went downstairs for breakfast he got another worried look from his sister and Ford, and now they were joined by Stan.

 

“You look awful…” Mabel pointed out.

 

“Gee thanks Mabel.” Dipper mumbled as he sat down.

 

“Dipper, is there something going on?” Ford asked.

 

“What? No I just haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately.” Dipper told them. Technically he wasn't lying.

 

“Dipper you need to sleep, there's serious consequences if you don't get enough of it.” Ford warned him.

 

“I know. I'll go to bed early tonight. I promise.”

 

“Good, you better.”

 

After breakfast Mabel caught Dipper before he could leave the kitchen.

 

“Hey Dipper, why don't you go back to bed? I'll cover for you in the shack.” She offered.

 

“No, I'll be okay. You worked yesterday.”  

 

“But you need more sleep.” She protested.

 

“I said I'll be okay!” He snapped.

 

“Oh.. okay then.”

 

Dipper turned away and continued out of the kitchen. Mabel watched him go, concern written all over her face, Dipper rarely snapped at anyone like that, especially not Mabel. She was starting to think Ford was right, something was up with Dipper. The question was, what could it be?

 

Dipper spent the day at the cash register, trying not to drift off while he leaned against the counter. One customer really got on his nerves. Which made the tiredness go away for a little while.  

 

A lady with two children approached the counter from the first tour bus. She asked if they had a t-shirt in a smaller size. Dipper pointed in the direction of the rack of shirts, telling her “if it's not there that's all we have. We just got new stock in so there should be plenty.”

 

The woman nodded and walked off, leaving her children there. Dipper ignored them..until they ran off and started to mess around with things in the shop. Dipper looked around for his uncle so he could take care of it. But he was the only employee in the shop. He sighed and stepped out from behind the counter and approached the children. They couldn't have been much older than seven.

 

“Excuse me, could you please stop doing that? If you break it you'll have to buy it.” Dipper told them. That was Stan's policy after all.

 

Their mom heard this and stormed up to him and started yelling at him. Telling him about how they were just kids and not hurting anything, and he should just leave them alone or she would have him fired. Dipper tried to calmly explain the store policy to her and that her kids were playing with something super expensive and break able. Once again she threatened to have him fired if he didn't leave her kids alone.

 

“I'm sure you will.” He said before walking back to the counter. The woman did not buy anything and left shortly after the incident. Dipper noticed one of her kids stole a key chain but couldn't do anything about it because he was busy with another customer.

 

There was one part of that was completely quiet. The shop was completely empty finally. Dipper was dozing off at the counter when he swore he heard the familiar _'click_ ’ of dress shoes on wood flooring. He instantly snapped back to attention and looked around frantically. Nothing. He let out a somewhat relieved sigh. A part of Dipper actually hoped it was the demon.

 

Then around closing time Dipper heard a whisper, while he took inventory. Or rather he thought he did.

 

_You're still mine._

 

Dipper once again looked around frantically, searching for the owners voice. There was only Stan at the counter, who stared at him with furrowed eyebrows.

 

“You okay there Dipper?” He asked.

 

Dipper nodded and ran a hand through his hair. He didn't think about Bill all day. That's probably why this was happening. Bill was just messing with him. Dipper had enough, he needed to see Bill. He thought that was kinda funny. The past three weeks he's been telling himself he didn't need to and now he was changing his mind.

 

While he finished up he formulated a plan to sneak down to the woods and summon Bill when everyone was asleep. He just hoped he had everything he needed.

 

Dipper skipped dinner and went straight to his room. He rummaged around under his bed and in his closet till he found most of what he needed. He had to grab a few extra candles from the hall closet but other than that he was set.

 

He told himself he would get a few hours of sleep then he would get up and go. He set his alarm for midnight, put his messenger bag near the door and shut off the lights before crawling into bed and drifting off to sleep.

.

It felt like it was only a few seconds before Dipper's alarm clock was buzzing angrily in his ear. Dipper reached over and slammed his hand down on the off button. It was time.  He rubbed his eyes before getting up and out of bed. He slipped on a hoodie and slung his bag over his shoulder. He carried his shoes with him as he walked down the stairs and made sure no one was up. Lucky for him the shack was dark and still. Perfect.

 

He tiptoed till he was out on the porch. Cold air brushed against his face as he put on his shoes and grabbed the flash light from his bag. He slowly crept through the dark and into the woods, making sure to be mindful of any tree roots or rocks that could trip him up.

 

It took him about thirty minutes to reach a small clearing were he would set everything up. He was careful while he set everything up, making sure candles were lit and in the right spots. He stared down at his work, when he was content with it he closed his eyes and started the chant, like his life depended on it.

 

He felt the world around him get colder, a gust of wind blowing out the candles. He waited a few seconds before opening his eyes. His heart sank when he didn't see Bill standing in the middle of the candles. Dipper thought he just said something wrong. So he re lit the candles and started again.

 

Nothing.

 

He did it again.

 

Nothing.

 

And again.

 

Once more, nothing happened. He just felt cold and empty. Why wasn't he responding? Dipper snapped the book shut and fell to his knees, a mixture if frustration and sadness filling his chest. At least something was there now.

 

“ARE YOU HAPPY YOU ASS HOLE? IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED? IS THIS WHAT YOU MEANT BY SHOWING YOU I'M SORRY?”  He yelled. It echoed throughout the woods. Tears started slipping down his cheeks. He hated this so much.

 

He sat there for a while with his head in his hands, every once in a while a sob would pass through his lips. It was a mixture of sleep deprivation and guilt that made him cry. And to Dipper, he deserved it.

 

After about an hour he stood up, wiped his face off with the back of his sleeve, and then gathered his things and started the walk back home.

 

Dipper didn't know how he managed to get up to his room, he was exhausted, sleep sounded so nice right now. His bed was practically screaming at him to just lay down. Dipper didn't ignore it. He didn't bother to change or anything. He was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

 


	3. Trying to fix us.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper tries to slowly fix everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: character death and gore.

**_Trying to fix us._**

**_“It's your fault!”_**

**_“It's your fault!”_**  

**_“IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!”_ **

 

_Dipper ran, trying to escape the voices. Some he recognized, some were unfamiliar to him. His lungs hurt and he wanted to stop. But his feet kept going, oblivious of to where he was headed. The voices got louder and louder, surrounding him. He covered his ears as he ran._

 

_“Stop stop! I'm sorry! I know it's my fault!” Dipper screamed, only to be drowned out by the other voices._

 

_Eventually Dipper came to a dead end, more panic rose up from the depths of his subconscious. He spun around only to be met with hurt golden eyes._

 

_“This is your fault.” Bill said blatantly._

 

_“Bill please I'm sorry... I'm beginning you, make it stop!” Dipper pleaded._

 

_“I think you deserve a taste of your own medicine, don't you think pine tree?” Bill asked, sadistic smile on his face._

 

_Bill reached out and grabbed the front of Dipper's shirt, pulling him forward. Dipper grabbed his wrist trying to pry his hand off._

 

_“Bill please! I'll make it up to you! Please!” Dipper screamed._

 

_“It's to late for that.” Bill said._

 

_It would be an understatement to say Dipper was scared. He was down right terrified. He kept trying to pry Bill's hand off of him, only causing the demon to tighten his grip._

 

_Bill dug his nails into Dipper's chest, causing Dipper to scream. Bill pushed his hand into Dipper's chest before ripping it back out, holding his heart. Dipper's eyes widened as he struggled to breathe. Bill shoved Dipper backwards, pushing him into a seemingly black void._

 

_Dipper couldn't scream for help, he just reached forward, desperately gasping for air._

 

_……._

 

Dipper shot up, almost falling out of his desk chair. He clutched his hand to his chest. Much to his relief there was not a giant hole in the space were his heart was supposed to be.

 

That was the second nightmare he's had that day. He had been back to the forest every night since the day after the holy water incident. Always returning with the same results, cold feelings and blown out candles. Everytime he returned to his room a nightmare followed when he tried to sleep.

 

By the second night he just stopped going straight to sleep and sat at his desk, occupying himself with whatever he could. But he always fell asleep only to be woken up by whatever was happening in his head.

 

He hated this and wanted it to stop. But it wasn't going to, until Dipper talked to Bill. And that was easier said than done. Dipper couldn't blame him, Bill had every right to be mad. Meanwhile Dipper felt guiltier than ever.

 

He deserved every nightmare he got, he deserved to be miserable. Dipper had a feeling Bill was behind them, not believing his own mind was conjuring up these horrific scenes.

 

But Bill had nothing to do with it. The only thing he was doing to Dipper was keeping an eye on him. Bill would decide when enough was enough. As much as he hated to see Dipper suffer, but he hurt Bill more than he would ever know.

 

But Dipper was getting his just deserts. Nightmares meant very little sleep so he had very little energy. One morning he could barely keep his eyes open, he almost fell asleep into his bowl of cereal. Stan had to pull him back up by his collar. After that he was forced to go back upstairs and back to bed. He got a solid thirty minutes before he was scared awake again.

 

In addition to the nightmares, Dipper was hearing voices. Every once in a while he would faintly hear Bill's voice whisper:

 

_“This is your fault.”_  

 

He would freeze for a second, he had to remind himself no one was there. He received strange looks if customers or one of his family members was around.

 

It was the same thing day in and day out. Wake up, then breakfast, try and stay awake for his shift in the shop, dinner if he felt like it, go upstairs, read till he fell asleep, wake up from a nightmare, go to the woods, try and make contact with Bill, come home, try not to sleep, have another nightmare, rinse and repeat.

 

When he looked in the mirror he barely recognized himself. Dark circles occupied his under eyes. The once vibrant green looked so gloomy and dead. His hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in years. It felt like forever since he genuinely smiled, but really it had only been four and a half weeks.

 

The rest of his family noticed Dipper's strange behavior and appearance. They knew something was up. At first they just thought Dipper was up late, getting lost in his research. But then they would receive the most horrified looks from him. That's when they really started to worry. Ford thought he had gotten into something he shouldn't have, and now he was possessed. Stan thought it was drugs. But Mabel didn't want to hear any of it. She refused to believe any of it. She wanted to believe that he was just being Dipper and getting caught up in some kind of supernatural research.

 

Either way, something had to be done. One Saturday morning Ford convinced Stan to close the shop for the morning and they all gathered in the living room and waited for Dipper. He came down around noon. They all shot him worried looks.

He furrowed his eyebrows.“

What's going on?”

 

“Dipper, you should sit down.” Ford said.

 

“..Okay?”

 

Dipper walked over and sat down next to Mabel.

 

“Why does this feel like an intervention?” He asked.

 

“Dipper we're worried about you.” Mabel said.

 

“Why? I'm fine.” Dipper lied. He was not.

 

“Really? Have you seen yourself? You look awful.” Stan said.

 

“Okay so I'm not getting a lot of sleep. But that's it. I'll start going to bed earlier.”

 

“What about the looks? Every once in a while you look at us like we're about to murder you.” Ford said.

 

Dipper looked down at the floor, like it was the most interesting thing in the room. Did he really look at them like that? He always thought he was staring blankly into space.

 

He felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked over at his sister.

 

“Dipper, we’re just trying to help you. If there's something going on, you can tell us.” She told him.

 

He wished it was that simple. He would love to tell them about the nightmares. He wanted to tell them about Bill. He wanted to ask Mabel about what he should do, since she was good at this stuff. He wanted to scream, he wanted it all out. But he couldn't. That would cause even more trouble than it was worth.

 

Dipper shrugged her hand off.

“Guys, I really appreciate you worrying so much about me. But really, there's no need. I'm just losing sleep. I don't know about the looks I've been giving you, I think I've just been spacing out lately.”

 

“What are you doing up so late?” Ford asked.

 

“Stuff.” Dipper said simply.

 

Ford raised his eyebrows in silent questioning.

 

“You know, reading, writing.. researching..”

 

“You're always up in your room. We never see unless you're in the shop or at the table.” Mabel said.

 

Dipper sighed.

“I know. I'm sorry. I'll try and do better..”

 

…..

 

After this Dipper felt even worse than before. If that was even possible.  He hated worrying people. Especially if those people were his family. Dipper was starting to get frustrated, he couldn't think, he couldn't sleep, he couldn't do anything without his mistakes coming for him! The guilt was eating him alive!

 

He just hoped that tonight would be the night that his summoning worked. Just to add on to his bad luck around 7:30 it started to poor. That wasn't going to stop Dipper though. Dipper made sure he had everything he needed for the millionth time while he waited for the time to roll around for him to go. He was anxious and he didn't know why. Something about going to the woods made him nervous.

 

He tried to distract himself, he tried to read but his mind wondered.

 

_'What if he never talks to me again? What if it actually is over? What if the nightmares never end? Oh God I just want them to stop...I just want things to be normal…’_ He thought frantically.

 

Like usual he ended up falling asleep, he book falling on the floor.

 

……

 

_“No! Let him go! He's done nothing wrong!” Dipper shouted._

 

_He looked on as Ford held onto Bill by his throat. No emotions of his uncle's face. Meanwhile Bill struggled to free himself.  Dipper was able to move forward, an invisible wall stopping him._

 

_Dipper banged on the invisible wall, screamed and cried, begging his great uncle to stop. Bill squirmed and gasped for air, trying to escape the elders grasp._

 

_“Pine...tree..” Bill wheezed._

 

_“Bill!” Dipper screamed, tears streaming down his face._

 

_Everything happened so fast. First Bill went limp, then everything was dark. Then Dipper fell through the floorboards._

 

Then he woke up, a few tears rolling down his face. This dream was different from all the rest. In his previous dreams something always happen to him, either him being left alone, having lost everything or him dying. But they all ended the same, Dipper falling into an infinite void. This time the ending was the same, but the dream was different. Bill died instead, something that was always lingering in the back of Dipper's mind. If Ford ever found out about Bill, that would indeed be his fate.

 

That scared him more than anything, more than all of his terrible dreams combined. Dipper looked over at his clock. 11:15. It was still raining pretty hard. Dipper sighed, he would just have to get a little wet.

 

Dipper got out of bed and slipped his hoodie over his head, grabbed his shoes and bag and then headed out. He had become quite good at sneaking out. He had memorized every stair that creeked when he stepped on it, he knew exactly were the furniture was and he also learned if he pulled up on the door handle it didn't make a sound when you opened and closed it. If he did all of these things he was guaranteed a perfect escape.

 

Dipper found himself walking a little faster to the cleaning, and also not paying as much attention to where he was stepping because his foot got caught in a tree root. Earning him a face full of mud, and a hole in his jeans. He groaned and wiped most of the mud off with his sleeve. Now he would definitely need a shower when he got home.

 

By the time he got to the clearing the rain had settled into a soft drizzle. He started his usual routine, setting up everything, making sure it was perfect, then started the chant. Always with a certain level of determination and urgency.

 

To Dipper's dismay, he got the same results. He was cold, wet, muddy and miserable. Dipper didn't bother picking up the candles this time. They were stubs by now anyways. Useless. Just like his attempts to get Bill to talk to him.

 

So he started the trek back home as it started raining again. Which seemed to take a lot longer than usual. Probably because he was exhausted and his legs hurt. Dipper thought things could only get better from here, right?

 

Wrong!

 

When he got home the kitchen light was on. Someone was up. Dipper took off his shoes off and left them by the door. He tried to just walk through the kitchen and not make eye contact with who ever had caught him. He was almost there when he heard someone clear his throat. Dipper turned around to meet Stan.

 

“Where have you been?” He asked.

 

“The woods.” Dipper told him.

 

“It's late. And it's pouring.” Stan pointed out.

 

“I know.”

 

“Get cleaned up and then bed, understand?” Stan ordered, pointing to the staircase.

 

Dipper nodded and hurried up stairs. He went straight to his room, shut the door and slid down it, closing his eyes. He needed a shower, dry clothes sounded so nice right about now.

 

Dipper heard the sound of his desk lamp click on, coating the room in yellow light.  

 

“Well, don't you look awful.”

 

Dipper opened his eyes, to his surprise Bill sat on his desk, one leg over the other with his chin resting on his fist. Bill looked a lot more..relaxed than usual. He was stripped of his usual extravagant onsomble, it was replaced with just a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and plain black slacks. His usually heavily styled hair fell naturally over his forehead, partially covering his left eye. Even his eyes looked less intense, somehow. But what stood out to Dipper the most was the marks on Bill's neck and cheek. They hadn't healed. Not even a little.

 

Dipper stood up and rubbed his eyes, just to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He wasn't.

 

“Why don't you get cleaned up. Then we'll have a little chat, hm?”

 

Dipper nodded and set his bag down, grabbed his pajamas and than left.

 

_‘He’s here..He's finally here. Don't do anything to screw this up.’_ Dipper inwardly told himself.

 

His shower was quick and a little to hot. He quickly scrubbed the dirt off his face, and out of the front part of his hair then quickly got out. He dried himself off and got dressed and headed back to his room. He stopped at his door and took a deep breath before twisting the knob to open the door.

 

Bill was still in the same spot Dipper left him in. He was feeling even more panicky than before. He had to choose his words carefully. He had one shot and he had to make it count.

 

It was a second before either of them breathed a word. Bill broke the silence.

 

“I think you had enough.” Bill said flatly.

 

“What? Are you forgiving me?” Dipper asked in disbelief.

 

“I didn't say that. I said you've had enough. There's a difference.”

 

“Oh..”

 

“Look at you..what a mess. You tried to get my attention so soon. Your need to fix things. Your need to fix us. You really can't live without me anymore can you?” Bill asked.

 

Dipper could only shake his head, words wanted to come out, but they were stuck in his throat.

 

“I’m surprised you haven't lost it yet kid. Especially with the dreams you've been having? Yeesh!” The demon exclaimed.

 

“You..you weren't behind those?” Dipper asked once he found his voice.

 

“I wish! Those were absolute masterpieces! I could never pull off something as masterful as that. Especially the last one!” Bill sighed  “No, that was guit. And it has not treated you well.”

 

Dipper shook his head again.

 

“I bet you feel really sorry, don't you?” Bill asked.

 

Dipper nodded.

 

“Well let me hear it. I know your dying to tell me.”

 

Dipper was silent for a second, trying to figure out what to say. His brain was working so fast he couldn't focus on a single thought.

 

“Well?”

 

“Bill I'm sorry. I really am. I shouldn't have hurt you. I should have told you what was going on. I should have done a lot of things. Just please, forgive me. I can't take it anymore. I can't take the guilt, I can't take the nightmares, I can't stand being alone. I need you around. Please I'll do anything to make it up to you.” Dipper rambled, desperately. Tears springing to his eyes. Why was he crying?! He shouldn't be crying. Dipper just felt so helpless.  

 

Bill raised his eyebrows, certainly not expecting this level of desperation.

 

“Anything?” Bill asked, hopping off the desk and approaching Dipper.

 

He nodded, looking away from Bill as he approached.

“Anything you want. I'll do it.”

 

“Alright pine tree. I'll think about it.” Bill said, turning Dipper's face to his gaze met his own. He wiped away a stray tear from his cheek.

 

Dipper had missed Bill so much it physically hurt. His actual chest hurt. He just wanted him to stay. But even if he did he would be gone by morning.

 

It was like Bill had read Dipper's mind, which he had. Because he replied to the unspoken request.

 

“Not tonight pine tree. We're not there yet.”

 

Dipper nodded as Bill stepped back.

 

As much as Bill wanted to give in and forgive Dipper he couldn't. Or else he feared this might happen again. He kept a straight face and a calm voice. He meant business and resisted temptation to just pull Dipper into a long deep kiss. Instead he decided it was time for him to be off.

 

“I must be going. Till next time pine tree.”

 

Bill also decided he would take care of the bad dreams for a little bit. Dipper would need as much energy as he could get for what Bill had planned as an apology.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp I hope I did Dipper's suffering justice. I loved writing this. Feel free to critique my writting or if you think I should have done something different.


	4. Claimed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And old friend stops by and Bill decids what's going to fix his and Dipper's relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings?? Do I have to put warnings on this one? Uhhh I don't think so. So none! Please enjoy this chapter it's a lot lighter than the others.

**Claimed**

  


The next day was a lot better for Dipper. There was no bad dreams after he went to sleep, so for the first time in weeks he got some much needed sleep. He was still a little tired because of the time he went to bed, but he wasn't completely dead. He was in a much better mood. Even though he was still a little worried about what was going to happen with him and Bill.

 

What was Bill going to have him do? Whatever it was it was bound to be weird. It was still Bill after all. Dipper just hoped whatever it was didn't hurt him or someone else. Dipper guessed he would just have to wait and see.

 

In the meantime, he tried to catch up on sleep and time out of his room. The night after he talked to Bill Dipper sat in the living room and watched TV with Mabel till they both passed out. The next day he took his post at the cash register while Mabel just hung around the shop, helping customers when they needed it. She was much better at it than Dipper.

 

Towards the end of the day someone unexpected strolled into the shop. Dipper was busy counting out change for a customer when he heard a familiar name.

 

“Wendy!” Mabel called.

 

Dipper hadn't seen Wendy in three years, since she went off to college when he was 16. So it was definitely a surprise to see her.

 

As soon as the customer stepped out of the way he saw her hugging Mabel. She looked so different but the same at the same time. It wasn't long till she pulled away from Mabel and turned to Dipper.

 

Wendy's hair got shorter, and she had gotten a tad taller, she was just a hair taller than Dipper now.

 

“Dipper! Man you got tall!” She exclaimed.

 

Dipper smiled awkwardly.

“Hey Wendy. Yeah..I guess I did.”  

 

“So Stan tells me you took my old job, and you're pretty great at it.”

 

“Well I wouldn't say great.. but I do fine.” Dipper told her.

 

“Psh!  I'm sure you're better than I am. Anyways enough small talk..wannat of here and catch up? Haven't seen you in forever.” Wendy asked.

 

“I would but I-” Dipper was cut off by Mabel.

 

“He would love too!” Mabel said running behind the counter and putting her hand over his mouth.

 

Wendy laughed.

“Great.”

 

Mabel took her hand away from Dipper's face.

 

“Mabel, I can't leave. Stan will kill me.”

 

Mabel shook her head.

“I'll cover for you. You'll just owe me.”

 

Dipper smiled at his sister.

“Thanks.”

 

And with that Dipper left with Wendy. They both got into her car and drove off.

 

“So what have you been up to?” Dipper asked.

 

“Oh you know. Collage, adult stuff.” Wendy said.

 

“Sounds fun.” Dipper replied.

 

“It's not trust me. I didn't even want to go. But I guess I can say I have a degree now.” Wendy said.

 

“True. So what did you go for?” He asked.

 

“I just got a general degree. Now I'm working with my dad again. Chopping down trees. Where I belong. What about you? You probably have loads of interesting stories.”

 

“Well I mean I guess. I took up an apprenticeship with Ford after senior year. I'll start that again in the fall. He's treating it like collage. So I have free summers and stuff.  But right now I'm just working in the shack.” Dipper told her.

 

“Wow, lucky you. Not having to go to actual college.”

 

Dipper shrugged.

“I mean if you call being in a dark lab all year, better than college, sure.”

 

The rest of the ride was just reminiscing about past summers before Wendy left town for college. Dipper would be lying if he didn't say he missed her. Sure his crush on her stopped a long time ago. But that doesn't mean she wasn't still a really good friend.

 

Thirty minutes after they left the shack they stopped.

 

“You up for a really bad movie?” Wendy asked, turning to him with a big smile.

 

Dipper smiled back.

“Always.”

 

They both exited the car and entered the theater. The movie was some really bad horror movie that came out earlier that week. And oh boy it was terrible. The theatre was pretty much empty, aside from the two people in the back and another couple three rows ahead of them.

 

So Dipper and Wendy whispered insults about the movie the whole time, like they used to. The movie lasted two hours. And for those two hours were the most stress free hours Dipper has had in what felt like forever. He didn't think about Bill, or the nightmares he had previously, or the upcoming favor he would have to do for the demon. He didn't think about the worried looks from his family, Dipper just let his mind go silent for a while.

 

After the movie, Dipper and Wendy drove around for a while just talking about anything that popped into their heads. It was nice.

 

Around 10:00 they pulled back up to the mystery shack.

 

“Tonight was fun. We should do it again sometime.” Wendy said.

 

“Definitely.”

 

“I'm free next weekend. You up for another movie or something?” Wendy asked.

 

Dipper nodded as he got out.

“Absolutely.”

 

“Cool! See you then!” Wendy said

 

“See you then.”

 

Wendy drove off and Dipper headed back inside. Stan was in the living room.

 

“Where did you run off to?” He asked as Dipper started to walk by.

 

Dipper stopped at the doorway.

“Oh Wendy dropped by so I went to hang out with her.”

 

Stan nodded.

“You're finally getting out of the house. Good for you kid.”

 

Dipper nodded.

“Yeah. Where's Mabel?”

 

“She left with her friends as soon as the shack closed. Won't be back till the morning I think.” Stan explained.

 

“Oh.” Dipper said before continuing his walk up to his room.

 

When Dipper got up the stairs he noticed a tiny sliver of light coming from under the door. He didn't remember turning on the light when he woke up this morning...weird. Dipper just figured he forgot and opened the door and entered the room.

 

“Where have you been?”

 

Dipper jumped a little. Not expecting someone to be in his room, especially not Bill. He was sitting on Dipper's desk again.  

 

“Geez Bill! How long have you been here?” Dipper asked.

 

“A couple hours. Thought you would be up here.” Bill replied,

 

“Well I was out, sorry.” Dipper said.

 

“Don't worry about it. You're here now, that's what's important.” Bill said hoping off the desk.

 

“Yeah..I didn't expect you back so soon.” Dipper admitted.

 

“Really? Well I suppose I did ignore you for a while..but I do want to get things back on track with us.”

 

Dipper nodded.

“Me too.”

 

“Perfect, because I've decided what I want you to do for me.” Bill told him.

 

“Really?” Dipper asked, curiously.

 

Bill nodded.

“I want to mark you.”

 

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows.

“You want to what?”

 

“Mark you. You know, claim you as mine till the day you die.” Bill explained.

 

“What are you going to do? How is it done?” Dipper asked.

 

“I'll just put a symbol somewhere on your body.” Bill said.

 

“So..so you want to brand me?!” Dipper asked, slightly panicked.

 

“It's not branding! I'm not burning it into your skin.”

 

“Let me get this straight, you want to brand me..so I'll be yours till the day I die?” Dipper asked.

 

“Stop calling it branding! And yes, come on kid, keep up.”

 

“Is it going to hurt?” Dipper asked.

 

“A little. But you should be okay.”

 

“Where are you putting it?”

 

Bill tapped his chin as if he was thinking.

“Come here and take off your shirt.” He ordered.

 

Dipper sighed and stepped closer to Bill before removing his shirt and throwing it on to the bed.

Bill walked around Dipper, eying him up and down. Dipper's cheeks dusted a slight shade of red.

 

Suddenly Bill stopped at Dipper's back and started tracing a pattern in between his shoulder blades.

 

“Here.” Bill said calmly.

 

“Okay. If this is what you want me to do..” Dipper said.

 

“It absolutely is.”

 

Dipper was a little nervous. The was definitely weird and not what he was expecting. But he trusted Bill so he let it happen.

 

“Relax. Trust me it'll make this whole thing a whole lot better.” Bill said.

 

Dipper nodded and took a deep then closed his eyes.

 

“Ready?” Bill asked.

 

“Yeah.”

 

Bill leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the spot before starting to mumble something. Dipper tried to listen in but Bill was speaking to fast and to softly to understand, not to mention it was in a language he's never heard before. A wave of warmth washed over him.

 

 _'this isn't to bad..’_ Dipper thought.

 

Until his back started to sting, terribly. Dipper clenched his eyes shut, waiting for it to stop. But it only got worse from there. The pain kept increasing to the point Dipper couldn't even stand anymore, he fell to his knees, breathing rapidly.

 

Bill was now in front of him, watching him carefully. Dipper reached out and grabbed onto Bill's shirt, pulling him closer.

 

“I-I thought you said..this wouldn't hurt this much!” Dipper questioned through clenched teeth.

 

“Shh, it's almost over. You'll be okay.” Bill assured him as he reached up, stroking Dipper's cheek with his thumb.

 

Dipper huffed and tightened his grip on Bill's shirt, wrinkling the fabric. It felt like something was being carved into his skin. But there was no feeling of blood trickling down his back. Just pain.

 

“Make..it stop!” Dipper begged.

 

“Shh, just a little longer.”

 

“Why..did you chose this?” Dipper asked.

 

“So you can't pull another stunt like this ever again.” Bill said.

 

Dipper's eyes watered and his breathing became even quicker and uneven. He wondered how much longer this would take. He just wanted it to stop! He couldn't take it.

 

Bill watched on, he hated to see Dipper suffer like this. If there was another way he would have done it, but sadly there wasn't. His mark was nearly complete. In the end he knew Dipper would be okay. He wouldn't have done this.

 

After what felt like forever the pain started to decrease till it was nothing but a dull stinging sensation.  Bill pried Dipper's hand off his shirt and stood up, circling back around to his back side.

 

A satisfied smile made its way to Bill's face. He carefully ran his finger down the mark, barely touching it. It was a deep crimson colored outline of a triangle with a eye in the middle. Bill leaned a little closer to read the symbols that were carefully scrawled through the triangle. They loosely translated to:

 

_Property of Bill Cipher_

 

“Is it over?” He asked.

 

Bill nodded.

“Yes, it's over pine tree.”

 

Bill got up and retrieved Dipper's shirt from the bed and handed it to him. Dipper took his shirt and slipped it over his head. Dipper felt a slight twinge of pain as the fabric rubbed against the mark. Bill offered his hand to help Dipper up, which Dipper took.

 

“You should get some sleep.” Bill said.

 

“You should stay here tonight.” Dipper told him.

 

Bill chuckled softly.

“Okay, if you sleep, I'll stay. Bit only because you did so well with the marking.”

 

Bill intended to say anyway, he felt it would be rude to make Dipper go through that for him and not stay to make sure he was okay after. He may be an evil dream demon, but he wasn't completely heartless.

 

Dipper slipped off his jeans and threw them in the dirty clothes basket. Bill kicked off his dress shoes and crawled into bed. Dipper turned off the light and crawled into bed after him. Dipper laid his head on Bill's chest and Bill wrapped his arms around around Dipper's waist. Dipper reached out and intertwined his fingers with Bill's free hand and Bill kissed the top of his head.

 

Dipper smiled softly and closed his eyes, soon enough drifting off to sleep.

 

Dipper slept peacefully for most of the night. He only woke up when his stomach started to feel weird and he felt movement from under him. He opened up his eyes and groaned softly.

 

“Shh, go back to sleep.” Bill whispered.

 

“Mm..stay.” Dipper mumbled.

 

“I can't.”

 

“Please?”

 

Bill leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Dipper's forehead.

“I can't. I'll be back soon I promise.”

 

Dipper closed his eyes again. He was too tired to argue and he knew Bill would have to leave before morning. It sucked but they still had to be cautious.

 

Bill smiled softly down at the brunette one last time. Dipper Pines was now officially his and only his.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this comes back a few times, it's not just a one time thing. Trust me. I wouldn't have put it here if it wasn't going to be relevant later.


	5. Side effects

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every action has consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: mentions of being sick and puke. If that makes you uncomfortable then read with caution.

**Side effects**

 

Dipper woke up a few hours later with the same weird feeling in his stomach from last night. He didn't think to much of it, he thought he he was just hungry. So he got up and got dressed and then headed downstairs for breakfast. 

 

Apparently he woke up a little later than usual because only Mabel was at the table with waddles beside her, eating some toast she had dropped for him. He guessed Stan was preparing for another day of scamming people out of their money and Ford was in the lab. 

 

“Morning Mabel.” Dipper greeted 

 

“Morning bro bro!” Mabel chirped. 

 

Dipper poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat across from Mabel. He thought about last night as he ate. He upper back was sore as hell. He figured it would be like that for a while. He made a mental note to ask Bill about what he did to him when he visited later. He didn't get to ask to many questions last night. He should have though. 

 

He was half way through his cereal when that weird feeling in his stomach turned into nausea. Dipper stopped mid chew, getting a weird look from Mabel. 

 

“Dipper? Are you okay?” 

 

Dipper didn't have time to respond, he slapped his hand over his mouth and ran to the bathroom. He just made it to the toilet before he threw up what he had in his mouth plus what was already in his stomach. 

 

Dipper held tightly onto the toilet as he puked into it. He was so confused. Why was this happening? Did he eat something bad? 

 

It wasn't long before he felt Mabel rubbing his back and making sure his hair was out of his face. Little did she know her hand was rubbing against the mark, causing Dipper to tighten his grip on the toilet bowl. 

 

Five minutes past and Dipper was finally able to remove his head from the toilet bowl, a little bit of puke dribbled out the side of his mouth. 

 

“Did you eat something bad?” Mabel asked, looking at her brother with concern. 

Dipper wiped his mouth and flushed the toilet. 

“I.. don't know. But I feel awful.” 

 

“You look awful. You should go back upstairs.” Mabel said. 

 

Dipper nodded. He just went from okay to garbage in a matter of minutes. He wondered if this was a side effect of what Bill did. But he didn't see how that was connected. But who knows, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing that happened to him. 

 

Dipper stood up, still holding his stomach. He stumbled out of the bathroom and back up to his bedroom. He laid down in fetal position, in the middle of his bed. The sick feeling was now mixed with a little pain. 

 

….

 

Throughout the day Dipper was back and forth to the bathroom. He couldn't keep anything down, medicine, soup, ginger ale, nothing. Even water came back up eventually. Soon he just stopped trying to get anything into his system. 

 

Dipper felt even worse then he did when he wasn't getting enough sleep, he hated vomiting up everything, his back and stomach hurt, it was agonizing. He wished he could just go back to having bad dreams. Anything would be better than this. 

 

Mabel came to check on him every once in a while. She didn't get to close, in fear of being vomited on. Which was fair. She suggested he go to the doctor, but Dipper refused. He told her, he probably just ate something bad yesterday. 

 

Around 8:00 Dipper started to feel slightly better. Keyword slightly. He was able to drink a whole glass of water without wanting to puke it up. Finally, hydration. He was even able to eat half a slice of dry toast before he fell asleep for a while. 

 

But that sleep didn't last to long. It was more of a two hour nap. When he woke up he knew he wasn't going back to sleep. He wasn't to upset about that, since he spent the whole day miserable. He wasn't feeling a hundred percent better yet, but he was better than earlier. Thankfully. 

 

Dipper reached over and flicked on his desk lamp. He ran a hand through his hair, encountering a few knots before he could get his fingers all the way through. Dipper really should start brushing his hair more often. He knew that wasn't going to happen though.  He got up and grabbed his laptop from his desk, quickly settling back into bed. 

 

It wasn't long before he was immersed in an article about a new ancient symbols found in a cave in Europe. He was so busy reading that he didn't hear the  _ 'click _ ’ of dress shoes. But he did notice when his laptop was shut when he was in the middle of reading. 

 

“What the..oh Bill.” 

 

“Hello pine tree, how are you feeling?” Bill asked as he sat on the edge of the bed. 

 

“Awful.” Dipper told him, setting his laptop off to the side. 

 

Bill raised his eyebrows. 

“Oh?” 

 

“Yeah. My back is killing me, and I was vomiting all day.. I think you have something to do with that.” Dipper accused.  

 

“Ah, once again blaming all your misfortune on me. But I guess I can take credit for this. It's a side effect of the mark on your back.” Bill admitted. 

 

“I knew it.”

 

“I'm sorry, but it'll be all over tomorrow.” Bill told him. 

 

Dipper sighed in relief. 

“Good. I'm suffering.” 

 

“Speaking of, let me see it.” Bill demanded. 

 

“So demanding. What's the magic word?” Dipper asked. 

 

“Pine tree..” 

 

“Come on. I know you know it.” 

 

Dipper loved doing this to Bill, he would make him say please when ever he could. If he suffered all day because he let Bill branded him, Dipper was getting a please out of the demon. 

 

Bill rolled his eyes, and sighed. 

“Please.” 

 

“There you go.” Dipper smiled innocently before getting out from under the covers and turning around. He pulled his shirt over his head, exposing his back. 

 

Bill scooted closer, examining it closely. He gingerly ran his fingers over the seal, sending shivers down Dipper's spine. The mark had gotten darker and the skin around it was irritated but that was expected. Other than that it was fine. Dipper had taken to it just as Bill thought he would. 

 

“So, what does it look like?” Dipper asked suddenly. 

 

“You haven't seen it?” Bill asked. 

 

“No. I've been vomiting all day. Haven't had time to look at it.” 

 

“Well then go now.” 

 

Dipper sighed and got up, heading out of his room into the bathroom. He flicked on the light and stood with his back facing the mirror, turning his head so he could see it. There it sat, right in between his shoulder blades. Dipper thought it would have been bigger with all the pain it caused him. If Dipper had to guess, he would say it was about the size of his hand. The crimson color stood out like a sore thumb against Dipper's pale skin. Dipper furrowed his eyebrows, he didn't understand the symbols that ran through the triangle. He's never seen anything like them before. 

 

Dipper still couldn't believe that he had been marked. It was just so bizarre to him. If he could go back and tell his younger self what he was going to get into when he got older, he would refuse to believe it. 

 

While Dipper was in the bathroom he slipped his shirt back on and gave his teeth a quick scrub. His breath tasted disgusting. After that he headed back into his room. 

 

Bill was sitting cross legged in the middle of Dipper's bed, waiting for him to return.

 

“Well? What do you think?” He asked. 

 

“Well.. it's certainly something.” Dipper told him. 

 

Bill smiled. 

“You'll get used to it. You are stuck with it after all.” 

 

Dipper nodded. 

“Yeah..hey what do the symbols mean?” 

 

“They mean you're mine and only mine. And if anyone dare touch you the way I do there will be consequences.” Bill explained, as if it was no big deal. 

 

“All that from three little squiggles?” 

 

Bill nodded. 

“Pretty much.” 

 

Then Dipper processed what Bill had said. It confused him. Consequences? What did that mean? 

 

“Wait. What do you mean by consequences?” 

 

“That's for me to know, and you to hopefully never find out.” 

 

Dipper rolled his eyes and plopped down on his bed in front of Bill. He didn't think he needed to worry about it to much, considering he didn't want anyone else but Bill. 

 

“Your impossible, you know that?” Dipper told him. 

 

“I'm impossible but you can't live without me.” Bill replied, smug look taking over his face. 

 

“Man, you just know everything about me, don't you?” 

 

Bill nodded. 

“Every little detail. No one will ever know you better.” 

 

It was true. Bill knew things that Dipper would never utter a word about. Like his worst fears, his real name (which only family knew about), or the lone two freckles on his hip. 

 

He also knew of the things that mattered most to Dipper, fondest memories, his hopes and his dreams of becoming a famous author one day, what made him laugh and his favorite movies. But most importantly, Bill knew exactly what buttons to push to get Dipper to say yes to anything. But he also knew that Dipper loved him. He never uttered the words but neither had Bill. It was more of a known thing between the two. And both were content with that for now. 

 

It all made Bill soft, let down his cold, evil exterior and soften up. He was still cocky as hell but Dipper had wondered a way into Bill's heart and made himself at home, whether he knew it or not. Granted this was all still new to him. But Bill has watched humanity for centuries. He had somewhat of an idea of what he was doing. And what he didn't know Dipper filled in for him.  

 

Bill reached forward, grabbing Dipper's shirt pulling him forward. He leaned in, closing the rest of the space between them. It had been so long since he got to actually kiss Dipper. And he was going to savor this for as long he could. Dipper moved his hands to cup Bill's cheeks and Bill rested his other hand on Dipper's thigh. 

 

Bill tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Dipper's lips were a little chapped but they were warm and something Bill could never get enough of. 

 

Sadly all good things had to end. Dipper was the one to pull away, a wide smile on his face. Slowly things were going back to normal. 

 

“It's been a while, huh?” 

 

Dipper nodded. 

“Yeah, let's not let it be that lot again.” 

 

Bill nodded and agreement. 

 

They were going to be okay. For now. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to give me critique or tell me what I should have done differently! Anyways hope you guys enjoyed this!


End file.
